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From: ForthNet@willett.pgh.pa.us (ForthNet articles from GEnie)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.forth
Subject: Feedback to the Forth Interest Group
Message-ID: <2395.UUL1.3#5129@willett.pgh.pa.us>
Date: 21 Feb 91 23:30:30 GMT
Organization: (n.) to be organized.  But that's not important right now.
Lines: 57

Category 1,  Topic 2
Message 107       Sat Feb 23, 1991
F.SERGEANT [Frank]           at 15:24 CST
 
 DR> Can you tell me how removing a local chapter from our list would 
 DR> get us new members?
 .
     Yes and no.  First, keep in mind that I was not suggesting  removing a
local chapter from your list in FD.  I proposed, at a  minimum, deleting an
incorrect listing for the Austin chapter.  As a  cautionary measure, I
suggested that FIG verify my belief (that Matt  Lawrence at Box 180409,
Austin, TX 78718, no phone number, hasn't been  reachable in years!) before
taking action.  My own attempt to reach him  some time ago was a failure.  I
feel a difference could be drawn  between "removing a local chapter from our
list" and "deleting an  incorrect entry from our list."  However, that was not
my only  suggestion.  I also suggested *replacing* Matt with a FIG member in 
Austin who could serve as a contact point.  I even, foolishly, offered  to let
my own address & phone be listed if no one else could be found.
 .
     Now, obviously I was in error.  I think I've traced it down.  I  think I
erroneously remembered hearing that, even though Jax had been  removed as
chapter co-ordinator, the *functions* of chapter  co-ordinator would be
handled by the FIG office.  (I think my  suggestions were reasonable within
the bounds of that erroneous  assumption.)  Jax points out (I hope I
extrapolate correctly here) that  the FIG office management group contracts to
do certain functions but  that what I suggested doesn't fall within those
functions.  Well, fair  enough!
 .
     As to how deleting an *incorrect* chapter listing could get us new 
members:  Now we are really into metaphysics.  I felt like I'd fallen  down
the rabbit hole (in Alice in Wonderland) when I got your first  reply to what
I thought was my innocent, helpful, non-controversial  information that I
thought the Austin chapter listing was wrong.  I was  serious when I mentioned
"diversity of viewpoint" in my following  posting.  I mean, like, you know, I
*really* had never considered that  a bad address and *unreachable* contact
person was *better* than no  listing (or perhaps saying "Austin Chapter,
status unknown")!  So, you  helped expand my intellectual universe.  I don't
think I can prove that  correcting the listing will get us more members and I
don't think you  can prove it would get us fewer members.  We can only
speculate.  I  speculate that correcting the listing improves FIG's
credibility or, at  least, knowingly failing to correct an incorrect listing
worsens FIG's  credibility.  Suppose a FIG member in New York writes his
cousin  attending the University of Texas in Austin to recommend Forth.  He 
gives the cousin the address of the local chapter contact person from  FD. 
From want of already being a thoroughly dedicated Forth  enthusiast, the
cousin only writes one letter to Matt, gets no answer,  and never thinks of it
again in his life.  Is that an unlikely  scenario?  Maybe.  I think we have no
way of tallying any such lost  members.  How serious is this?  I don't know. 
I didn't mean to get  into a great controversy over pointing out the
possibility of an  incorrect listing in FD!
 .
  -- Frank
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